


Stargazing

by Isra



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 15:44:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1715987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isra/pseuds/Isra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just a bit of fluff inspired by GMM 456.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bit of fluff inspired by GMM 456.

Rhett texted Link on Sunday night: _Happy Birthday! Busy?_

A minute later Link replied: _Not especially. Just put kids to bed. What’s up?_

Rhett: _Can you get away for a few hours? Got a surprise for you._

A longer delay, then: _Um. Sure?_

_Great. Pick you up in 15._

Rhett pulled into Link’s driveway ten minutes later. His friend stood up from where he’d been waiting on the porch, clad in jeans and sandals and his dark blue Pluto t-shirt. He walked over and climbed into the passenger seat, then fixed Rhett with a bemused expression. “Am I gonna like this surprise?”

Rhett patted him heartily on the thigh before turning to back out of the driveway. “Of course, brother! It’s your birthday, I wouldn’t give you something you didn’t like.”

Link snorted dubiously. “Do I get a hint?”

“Well, I’ll tell ya right now it’s not a pony.”

“Aw, man,” Link mock-whined. 

“You wouldn’t want a pony anyway. You know how much those things eat?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. So… where are we going?”

Rhett grinned over at him, pleased with himself. “You’ll see when we get there.”

“Oh, fine.”

Rhett turned on the radio and they made small talk over the music. They drove north on Route 5 for half an hour or so, then Rhett took an exit onto a small suburban street. After a short time the neighborhoods thinned out and they were driving past large swaths of darkness. They started climbing foothills and dipping into valleys as the road narrowed. They only rarely saw another car.

Link fidgeted, craning his neck to try to read the passing signs for clues. “Where on earth are we going? Are you taking me to a remote location to murder me or something?”

Rhett laughed. “Well, it’s a remote location. But you’ll survive, I promise.” 

They finally pulled off the road and crunched onto a small, empty dirt parking lot. Their headlights swept over a small sign proclaiming “Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve – Closed at Sunset.” Link let out a small “oh!” of surprise. “I’ve been wanting to check this place out! But in the daylight, obviously. It’s closed now.” 

Rhett shifted the car into park and turned off the engine. When he flicked off the headlights, they were suddenly plunged into darkness. The stars above them were the only light source for miles in any direction. Rhett turned to Link and the man could hear the grin in his voice, even though he could barely make out his silhouette. “It’s okay, no one’s gonna have a problem with us being here. C’mon.” 

“If you say so…”

Rhett opened the door and the overhead light came on, harsh and white. Link climbed out and closed his door. The interior light slowly faded as he walked around to where Rhett was opening the trunk. The taller man rummaged around and pulled out a medium-sized duffel bag which he slung it over his shoulder. He took out a dim flashlight and turned it on before shutting the trunk. 

“Let’s go!” the tall man exclaimed cheerfully, enjoying Link’s continued confusion. The birthday boy followed his friend gamely as he led the way to the trailhead at the corner of the parking lot. The path was rocky and narrow.

“You coulda’ warned me I’d need hiking boots for this,” Link grumbled.

“Aw, don’t worry. We’re not goin’ far.”

They picked their way through the dark for about ten minutes until they reached a flat rock that protruded slightly higher than the rest of the area, providing a platform of sorts approximately ten feet square. 

“Here we are,” Rhett declared. He carefully set the bag down on the ground and dug through it, pulling out a folded-up tripod and a black cylinder about two feet long and half a foot in diameter. He began assembling the two items while Link looked on, mystified. 

After a minute, Link finally got it. “Is that a telescope?”

“Yep!” Rhett clapped his hands with glee. “I’m gonna show you your birthday present.”

“The star you named after me?”

“Yessir. I know they said you’re supposed to be able to see it with the naked eye, but I thought you’d like to see it up close. The Linkstar!” 

Link laughed. “Do you even know how to use that thing?”

“Yeah, I do.” Rhett’s excitement was tinged with self-consciousness. “I, uh… took a class.”

“You took a _class_ so you could show me my birthday present?”

The self-consciousness grew. “It was just, like, an hour.” 

Link was quiet for a minute as Rhett bent over the equipment. “That’s… actually really sweet.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious. I’m sorry I wasn’t excited about it because I thought I was getting a pony.”

“Well, hopefully this’ll work and you won’t be disappointed again.”

Link put a hand on Rhett’s shoulder. “I won’t be. This is fun, anyway, just being out here.”

Rhett reached up and touched his hand briefly. “I’ll find the Linkstar, don’t worry.” 

He bent back over the telescope and fiddled with the settings. He handed the flashlight to Link, who held it for him while he consulted the guide and the star certificate, trying to zero in on the right location. After a few minutes of muttering, he straightened up. “Dammit, I was worried this would happen.”

“What’s up?”

“It’s behind the mountains right now.” 

“Oh.”

“I think we should be able to see it soon, if we just wait a little bit.” 

“That’s cool. I got nowhere to be.” 

Rhett sounded self-conscious again. “I planned for this contingency, actually.” He went to the bag and pulled out a small folded blanket, which he spread on the rock. They sat down and Rhett shortened the tripod so they could look into the eyepiece without having to get up. 

A steady breeze was blowing across the open landscape, and Link shivered and chafed his upper arms. “I got something for that too,” Rhett declared as he took a large thermos out of the bag. He poured some of its steaming contents into the small metal cup and passed it to Link, who smelled it.

“Mmm. Hot chocolate?”

“With a little extra.” 

Link took a sip and sighed contentedly. “Is that kahlua?”

“Yep.”

“Nice.”

They passed the cup back and forth, Rhett refilling it when it got low. Soon Link was leaning against the larger man and Rhett had his arm around his friend’s shoulders. It was quiet and comfortable with Link’s head nestled into the crook of his neck. He turned and pressed his face into the man’s soft hair, breathing in its musky scent. 

Out here, far from the cameras, they didn’t have to worry about what others might think. So, they relaxed into each other as they had for years, in the rare moments where they found themselves alone and unobserved. They talked and laughed and Link snuggled close into his best friend’s arms.

Eventually, Rhett leaned over and looked into the eyepiece, adjusting the settings of the telescope after another glance at the guidebook. After a few minutes he exclaimed, “There it is! At least, I’m pretty sure. Here.” He reached over and gently lifted Link’s glasses off his face. “Take a look.” 

Link rose up on his knees and inclined his head to put his eye to the eyepiece. A field of stars spread out before him like diamonds scattered on black velvet. “Which one is it?” he asked.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure. I’m guessing it’s the one that’s in that cluster in the upper right, about an inch from the top, the bottom left one.”

Link looked where he was directed. The star Rhett had pointed out seemed to brighten as he studied it. He watched it sparkle. “I like that one.” 

Rhett’s hand came down and rested on his shoulder, thumb rubbing circles over his spine. “Yeah?”

Link pulled his head back and turned to look up at his friend with a smile. “Yeah. It’s really cool.”

Rhett opened his arms and Link moved into his embrace, encircling the taller man’s waist with his own arms. Rhett caressed his shoulders as his words rumbled against Link’s cheek. “Now I can look up at night and see you any time I want.” 

Link leaned back just enough to look into his friend’s eyes, their dilated pupils turning them into dark pools and their edges crinkled with emotion. “Thank you, Rhett.” 

“Happy birthday, Link.” Rhett tilted his head down and pressed his lips softly to his friend’s, running his hand up into the man’s silken hair. Link melted into him with a contented sigh. After a long moment Rhett pulled back and nuzzled the other man’s nose. “What do you say we stay here and watch the sunrise?” 

Link grinned, his teeth a flash of white in the shadows. “Promise to keep me warm?”

“Always.”


End file.
